Writing on the Wall
by presidentuziel
Summary: Twenty years after Eden Prime, the famous Spectre Commander Shepard begins recruiting new crewmembers onto the team of the Normandy. New friends are made, and old friends return, but few know who their enemies are going to be.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**"Recruiting Drive"**

**May 2, 2203**

**20 years after the attack on Eden Prime**

**Citadel Station**

You can bring a man to the strangest places in the galaxy and put him through the greatest of tests, but at the end of the day, he's still a man. If there's one thing about men that never change, it's a love for food. The Presidium had virtually no grab-and-go food to speak of. It was all catering and eat-in, and all in the financial district. This made the man in the trenchcoat obviously upset as he approached the human embassy. He hadn't been able to get anything to eat for several hours. On the Citadel, there was always something to do, and never enough time to do it.

The area around the embassies was quite busy. The man in the trenchcoat expected as much. It wasn't every day that word got out that Commander Shepard was looking for crewmen, spies, and warriors. Of course it wasn't something that everyone had heard all around the Citadel, but the man in the trenchcoat was just connected enough to know what was going on. He spotted a few people he knew, and more that he didn't. There were about twenty people gathered outside the embassies. Every now and again, Miranda Lawson would step out, point to someone, and they would go inside. She never came out with anyone.

If he didn't know any better…

"I see you got my message, Jim," a Turian chuckled. Jim looked over his shoulder to see Heppanah, an aging Turian woman, with one cybernetic eye and a robotic hand. Jim smiled and offered a Turian salute, which she returned, before offering her hand. He grabbed it, then pulled her over, giving her a hug.

"Handshakes are for strangers, friend," Jim replied, "Thanks for letting me know. I never thought I would have had this chance. Are you going to sign on?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I've got a good thing with C-Sec. With the Councilor retiring, they're thinking that Executor Pallin might take the spot, and I'm a prime candidate to take his. Going off on one of Commander Shepard's wild adventures...I'm not young anymore."

"Who is?" Jim asked, "I've sent two of my kids through college already, and I've got an Asari daughter that's already throwing things around with her mind. Believe me, this is probably the last chance we're going to get for another adventure before we're sent out to the pastures."

"Sent out to the…?" Heppanah scowled.

"Pastures. Retirement home, taken off active duty, moving aside for the younger crowd."

"I see. Human idioms never cease to amaze me. I'll need to do some planning, let people know that I'm leaving. I've got a lot of responsibilities at C-Sec."

"They'll understand. But you should do something impulsive for once. It's not breaking the rules, but it's certainly doing the unorthodox, Hep. I've always encouraged you to do something different, and here's your chance to get me to shut up," Jim smiled.

They both watched as Miranda walked out, pointed to a Salarian, and entered the building again. This was going to be a while. Jim opened his mouth to speak when he saw a Hanar and a Drell join the group. He could only mouth an expletive of disbelief at the sight. Heppanah noticed his expression and turned to see what he was looking at.

"Well, Hanar can play their own role," Heppanah laughed.

"I suppose. I suppose whatever Shepard's planning, we'll need all sorts of help," Jim surmised.

"Is anyone coming in as a pair or a group?" they heard a deep voice yell out. Jim and Happanah looked at each other, and she shrugged. They both looked to the Hanar and the Drell, who didn't respond. Jim raised his hand.

"We are!" he called, and they walked to Jacob. He motioned them to follow, and they entered the embassy together. The Biotic didn't say anything, but he didn't seem solemn or anything like that. Jim noticed that he wasn't wearing a Cerberus symbol. He'd heard that Commander Shepard had begun to distance the crew of the Normandy from Cerberus, but if Jacob Taylor wasn't wearing the symbol that must mean that the schism was complete.

"In here," he instructed, and the two entered a darkened room. They could see the faint outline of a human sitting behind a desk.

"Oh, this is rich," Happanah muttered. The lights brightened, and someone neither of them recognized was sitting there. He was a tall, pale man without any hair. He wore a formal Alliance two-piece, the kind that diplomats and businessmen wore when they were on the citadel. Jim couldn't help but remember the days when those outfits were only worn to government proceedings, and everyone else still wore ties. Hell, Jim was wearing a tie at the present. He just liked ties.

"James Stone and Happanah K'Venn. I never thought either of you would be interested in hitting the stars again."

"I figured there still aren't enough children out there that look like me. Best way to fix that is to travel," Jim remarked.

"I suppose this is my last chance to do something outside of the Citadel before they send me out to the pastures," Happanah added.

"So a washed-out bounty hunter and an overworked Turian C-Sec administrator want to join the crew of the Normandy, then?"

"Excuse me! A post-prime personnel allocator, thank you very much," Jim objected.

"Whatever. Both of you have excellent records. Jim has some history as a pirate, but that was undercover work anyway. Nothing more than a few bumps in the road, I don't see why you wouldn't be an asset to the operation."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind," Happanah stated.

"It's not difficult when all the information I need is right here," the man stated, tapping his hairless head. His head was so shaved that the dim light actually reflected off of it, "You've got my recommendation. We leave in a week, get your affairs in line before that."

"Where are we going?"

"That's for Shepard to know and for you to find out. Don't worry, you're not going to be used as cannon fodder. If we needed that, we would have approached the Citadel for military assistance. The only thing I can tell you is that you should be prepared to be leaving for several months, if not years. Kiss your kids good-bye and pack well."

"I wouldn't be much of a bounty hunter if I didn't ask how much the pay was," Jim said.

"For a personnel allocator of your skill and aptitude, I would have to say substantial. Nobody who's ever lived through one of Shepard's missions has ever gone home impoverished because the Commander wasn't generous. I can't give you numbers because we don't have any. But every time the Normandy goes out, it comes back with more than enough to pay for whatever operations it's been on."

"Believe me, I've had to crawl through that thing's cargo bays enough times that I can tell you, they find all sorts of things to sell. Mostly weapons and minerals. Every now and again we've caught them with something illegal, but only because they forgot to sell it or dump it while in the Terminus systems," Happanah explained.

"And here I was all ready to give him the argument of a lifetime. All right, I suppose I'm in."

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't already, Jim. Good to have you on board. You will be contacted. Next Sunday," the bald man stood and shook their respective hands, "If you can provide your own weapons, that would be optimal."

"I'll do what I can," Happanah agreed.

"You don't have anything that I want when it comes to weapons. I'll have my own guns," Jim informed him.

"Good. But if you need it, we will have a requisitions officer, and you can buy your weapons on credit if you need to. Please, there are other waiting."

Jim nodded, and exited the room with his Turian friend. Jacob Taylor was already approaching with the Hanar and the Drell.

"I'll give them this, they're efficient," Jim commented, "I suppose you've got to get ready, then? If you need anything, I'll be at my apartment. I just gotta have another screaming match with my land-lady and I'll be ready to go. Other than that, all I have to do is shove some clothes into my old bag from my Marine days, clean my weapons, and buy some booze, I'll be ready to go."

"There are a few things I can have you do, thank you, Jim," Happanah assured him, "I'd hate for you to be bored. Every time you go longer than two days without something to do, you seem to find trouble."

"Hey, trouble finds me. I just happen to be in a very conspicuous place when it looks!" Jim objected.

"Yeah, well, tell that to your lawyer!" she laughed as she approached the rapid transit system, and Jim had nothing to retort with. He looked over his shoulder to the embassies and thought,

_Man, I'm hungry._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Shepard's Flock"

May 8, 2203

18 Years after Commander Shepard's return from the dead

Citadel Station Docking Bay

Tali'zorah vas Normandy watched as the fifteen new recruits lined up on the dock, and she couldn't help but hang her head. A Hanar? Humans who were barely out of adolescence, and there was one human who was carrying three overstuffed bags, standing next to an aging Turian, who was obviously embarrassed to be standing next to him. She leaned up to Jacob.

"Are you sure about them, Jacob? They seem to be a little…Mismatched…" she wondered.

"Sort of sounds like our original crew, Tali. Don't worry, we did extensive searches on them. If they're not already the best, they're on their way," Jacob replied. The man with the three bags set one down, and they could hear the clunking of bottles, "Even if some of them are a bit eccentric. Besides, we're not squeezing them into one ship the way we used to."

"That's almost what I'm worried about. Shepard can maintain discipline and lead a crew like nobody else. But the other CO's aren't as tried," she reminded him.

"So you don't think I can do it?" Jacob inquired, and Tali was silent for a moment.

"I hadn't been told that you were given command of one of the ships."

"Technically, neither was I. But I found out through Miranda. I found out who the other commander is, too."

"Who is it?"

Jacob just smiled, and they were both forced to come to attention as Garrus Valkarian walked onto the dock.

"I apologize, but Shepard is attending to something right now, so I will be giving you your orders. Each of you has chosen to join us on what is possibly our most important mission in our careers. Of our lives. And yours.

"Now, I don't have Shepard's knack for making inspirational speeches. So I'm just going to tell you what's happening. Shepard is no longer to be referred to as 'Commander'. It's now 'Commodore'. The Alliance officially recognized Shepard as being alive about three years ago, and along with that came a promotion. And only seven of you will be serving on the Normandy."

This caused several of the new recruits to mutter amongst themselves.

"The SSV-Iwo Jima, recently constructed, is the Normandy's sister ship. She will be commanded by Captain Jacob Taylor. The other is a Quarian vessel, the MFV Atwell. That vessel will be commanded by Captain Tali'zorah vas Atwell. Eight of you will be stationed on the Iwo Jima, while the Atwell will be run by Volus and Quarians. Other species would just get in their way and be a problem due to their environmental needs. But rest assured, all three vessels are just as important as the other. We've had to pull a lot of strings to make this happen. Nobody will tolerate bigotry. Everyone's got prejudices, but the ships aren't big enough for them. So keep your egos at the door."

"What about my booze, sir?" the man with three bags asked. Garrus's mandibles twitched thoughtfully.

"I'm sure we can find a place on the ships, but we may have to divide it between the Iwo Jima and the Normandy."

"Aye, sir."

This gave the signal for a few nervous laughs and a heavy sigh from Happanah.

"So, here's the crew manifest. See where you've been placed, and welcome to the team," Garrus declared, and he allowed one of the crewmen to display the crew manifests. Ten of the new crewmen climbed over each other to find out who went where, but Stone and Happanah, as well as the Drell and Hanar, waited patiently for the crowd to disperse. When they had divided themselves up, Happanah started making her way over, but Jim stopped her.

"Let's see where the Drell and Hanar go. Whichever ship they go onto, we go onto the other one. Process of elimination," he told her, and she nodded in response. They didn't notice Tali moving past them, nor her brusque seizure of Garrus's arm.

"Why hadn't I been told about the third ship?" she demanded, "I knew we had three, but nobody said anything about the Quarians, or that I was going to be captain!"

"Shepard wanted to surprise you. We worked hard to get the Quarians and the Volus to work with us on this, and even harder to get you the spot. But we couldn't have chosen anyone better, Tali," Garrus replied calmly.

"We don't keep secrets, Garrus! We have NEVER kept secrets! Jacob knew before I did, so he had time to prepare, but I-"

"You're what? Not ready? That's not true, Tali, you've got the experience and the skill for it. Don't tell me you're not ready for it."

"I'm just…Surprised. And unprepared! Becoming Captain of a Quarian vessel isn't something that happens suddenly like this!"

"It's more common with humans. They're soft and squishy, and toast easily, see. Shepard didn't expect getting command of the Normany, either, but the Commodore adapted quickly."

"Yeah, you would know," Tali muttered under her breath. Garrus heard her, but ignored it, "Well, I am honored nonetheless. When do we move out? Do I have time to meet my crew?"

"Yes, of course, it'll be several hours before Shepard comes back, and we need to get the ships to get ready as it is. Your crew is waiting for you, Tali. You'll do fine, all right? Besides, you'll be pleased to find out who your First Officer is."

"You didn't."

Garrus smiled.

"You did! If we weren't in front of the crew, I would hug you, Garrus. Thank you again," she finished, and Garrus watched as she walked down the dock towards where her vessel was. She could see several Quarians and Volus coming out and standing at attention. Garrus looked back to where the crewmen were entering, and saw that the Hanar and Drell were having a staring contest-if Hanar could stare-with the human and Turian.

"What in the world…"

"Hey, Happanah, I think they're waiting for us to go check," Jim noted.

"Yeah, that seems to be the case," she agreed. Jim didn't move.

"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at him.

"Staring contest with the Drell. I think he's got some advantages on me."

"Yeah. He's a Drell. They're used to dry eyes. He's going to win no matter what you do. This is childish, come on," she urged him.

"Fine," Jim grumbled, and he picked up his booze-bag, and made his way to the crewman. He followed down the list, finding his and Happanah's names.

"We're on the Iwo Jima. Damn, that means the Hanar and the Drell get to go on the Normandy!"

"Why is that a problem?"

"Because I've never been able to one-up a Drell. I've never beaten one at anything before. That's why I got into the staring contest with him, I wanted to see if I could beat him at that."

"First of all, you really need to grow up. Second, Drell have two eyelids. He could go for hours."

"How do you know so much about Drell staring contests?" Jim demanded. Happanah just smiled, hoisting her one bag onto a comfortable position on her shoulder. Jim picked up his booze bag, and made his way not to the Iwo Jima, but to his Captain.

"Captain Taylor? I'm Jim Stone, we met on Monday," he offered his free hand, and Jacob returned it.

"Good to meet you, Jim. I look forward to working with you, but I hope your…personal items aren't going tog et into anyone's way."

"It's mostly just parts and stuff I brought from home. I've got several projects I'd like to do while I'm here that will increase performance. And every now and again, letting go helps increase performance, as well, so I prepared for that, too. When I'm on a crew, I share everything I bring. If you don't mind me asking, where are we headed to next? I've got a lot of contacts, and some heads-up on where we're going could be useful on finding if I've got any friends or enemies there."

Jacob smiled.

"Sorry, I don't even know. I didn't know that I was captain until Garrus announced it."

"Uh huh. That's why you were jumping up and down and fidgeting the way Tali was when Garrus announced it. I've been doing this longer than you have, and I've dealt with Cerberus just as long. You already knew that you were commanding the Iwo Jima. And you already knew that I was going to be on your ship when I showed up, because you're the one who told Happanah."

Jacob tensed up and scowled.

"How do you figure?"

"I've got my sources. While I was waiting, I found out who the bald man was. Turns out I've dealt with him before when I was working for the Shadow Broker. That was a good start. When I found out who he was, he started tracking me, so I left a few decoys for him on the extranet and got into his systems. You'd sent him a few emails, and I found out that he recommended me to you as a potential crew member. He mentioned the other two ships. I figured Shepard had found some old friends from the Alliance to captain a couple new ships bought for the mission, but when I saw you not react to Garrus's reaction in comparison to Tali's, I realized that you already knew. I should have figured that out sooner when I didn't find any information on the new captains."

Jacob's scowl turned to a satisfied smile.

"Welcome to the team, Smiles."

Jim's face turned dark.

"Don't call me Smiles, please. I'm not that person anymore. That was thirty years ago. Smiles died on Omega. I'm Jim. Sir," Jim gowled, and Jacob relaxed his expression.

"All right. I'm going to keep a loose ship. You ever need to talk.."

"Won't be necessary, I'll be talking so much you'll want to make my quarters the airlock, just to shut me up," Jim assured him, his expression changing immediately. He picked up his booze-bag and stared on his way to the ship, but was stopped by Garrus.

"Mister Stone, I believe I made it clear earlier that we don't have room for all of your things on one ship. We're going to have to divide up the contents of at least one of your bags."

"We'll, if it means the comfort of my fellow members of our little flotilla, I am happy to share. However, I don't see any way of splitting them up."

A crewman showed up with a crate.

"Do you normally go around with crewmen holding crates?" Jim asked at the sight.

"As a matter of fact, yes. You never know when you're going to need a crate for something," Garrus mused. Muttering under his breath, Jim transferred half of the contents of his booze-bag into the crate, which was carried away by a smiling crewman.

"A pleasure to have you on the team, Smiles," Garrus remarked.

"My name's not Smiles, it's Jim," he called at the Turian, toting his things and walking into the airlock.


End file.
